US2008299115A1PendingUtilityA1

Antibody Variants with Faster Antigen Association Rates

62
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Feb 11, 2002Filed: Apr 2, 2008Published: Dec 4, 2008
Est. expiryFeb 11, 2022(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Henry B. LowmanJonathan S. Marvin
C07K 16/2896C07K 16/24C07K 16/32C07K 2317/565C07K 16/00A61P 43/00A61P 35/00C07K 2317/55G01N 33/53C07K 16/18
62
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Claims

Abstract

Antibody variants with faster antigen association rates are disclosed. The antibody variants have one or more amino acid alteration(s) in or adjacent to at least one hypervariable region thereof which increase charge complementarity between the antibody variant and an antigen to which it binds.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A method of making an antibody variant of a parent antibody specific to an antigen, comprising the following steps:
 a) identifying a target amino acid residue within the variable domain of the parent antibody, said target residue being 1) an exposed residue in solution; 2) in or adjacent to a hypervariable region; and 3) within about 20 Å of the antigen when the parent antibody is bound thereto; and   b) substituting the target residue of step a) with a different replacement amino acid residue such that the charge complementarity between the antibody and antigen is increased.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target residue does not directly contact antigen when bound thereto. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target residue has at least about one third of its side chain surface area exposed to solvent. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target residue is within at least about 16 Å of the antigen when bound thereto. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the parent antibody is a humanized, human or chimeric antibody. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the parent antibody is an antibody fragment. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the antibody fragment is a Fab fragment. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the antibody variant has a stronger binding affinity for the antigen than the parent antibody. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the binding affinity of the antibody variant is at least about two fold stronger than the binding affinity of the parent antibody. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the antibody variant has a faster association rate with the antigen than the parent antibody. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the association rate of the antibody variant is at least about five fold faster than the association rate of the parent antibody. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the association rate of the antibody variant is at least about ten fold faster than the association rate of the parent antibody. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the antibody variant has from about one to about twenty substitutions in the hypervariable regions thereof compared to the parent antibody. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein each of the substitutions increases charge complementarity between the antibody and antigen. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the antigen is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the parent antibody comprises the heavy and light chain variable domains of a humanized anti-VEGF antibody selected from the group consisting of Y0101, Y0317, F(ab)-12, Y0192, Y0238-3, Y0239-19, Y0313-2, and VNERK. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the substitution is in a hypervariable region selected from the group consisting of CDR L1, CDR L2, loop H1 and CDR H3. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the substitution is at one or more of amino acid positions 26L, 27L, 28L, 30L, 31L, 32L, 50L, 52L, 53L, 54L, 56L, 93L or 94L of a light chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the substitution is at two or more of amino acid positions 26L, 27L, 28L or 30L of a light chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the substitution is at three or four of amino acid positions 26L, 27L, 28L or 30L of a light chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the substitution is at one or more of amino acid positions 25H, 28H, 30H, 54H, 56H, 61H, 62H, 99H or 100aH of a heavy chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antigen is tissue factor (TF). 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the parent antibody comprises the heavy and light chain variable domains of a humanized anti-TF antibody. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the humanized anti-TF antibody is D3H44. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the substitution is at least at one or more of amino acid positions 30L, 49L, 50L, 53L of a light chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the light chain variable domain of the parent antibody is of SEQ ID NO:11. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the substitution is at least at one or more of amino acid positions 30H, 54H, 56H, 62H, 64H or H of a heavy chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the heavy chain variable domain of the parent antibody is of SEQ ID NO:12. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antigen is HER2. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the parent antibody comprises the heavy and light chain variable domains of a humanized anti-HER2 antibody. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the humanized anti-HER2 antibody is the rhuMAb 4D5. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the substitution is at least at one or more of amino acid positions 27L, 28L, 52L or 56L of a light chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the light chain variable domain of the parent antibody is of SEQ ID NO:13. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30  wherein the substitution is at least at amino acid position 98H of a heavy chain variable domain of the parent antibody, utilizing the residue numbering system according to Kabat. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the heavy chain variable domain of the parent antibody is of SEQ ID NO:14. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 1  comprising producing the antibody variant in a host cell comprising nucleic acid encoding the antibody variant. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  comprising conjugating the antibody variant produced by the host cell with a heterologous molecule. 
     
     
         38 . An antibody variant made according to the method of  claim 36 . 
     
     
         39 . An antibody variant of a parent antibody which comprises an amino acid alteration in or adjacent to a hypervariable region of the parent antibody which increases charge complementarity between the antibody variant and an antigen to which it binds. 
     
     
         40 . The antibody variant of  claim 39  wherein the alteration is an amino acid substitution in a hypervariable region of the parent antibody. 
     
     
         41 . The antibody variant of  claim 39  wherein the alteration is an amino acid insertion in or adjacent to a hypervariable region of the parent antibody, wherein the inserted amino acid does not bind antigen. 
     
     
         42 . The antibody variant of  claim 39  wherein the antigen is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). 
     
     
         43 . The antibody variant of  claim 42  comprising a light chain variable domain comprising a CDR L1 sequence selected from SATKKIKNYLN (SEQ ID NO:6) or SATKKITNYLN (SEQ ID NO:7). 
     
     
         44 . The antibody variant of  claim 43  comprising a light chain variable domain comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4. 
     
     
         45 . The antibody variant of  claim 42  comprising a heavy chain variable domain comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:9 or SEQ ID NO:10. 
     
     
         46 . The antibody variant of  claim 39  wherein the antigen is tissue factor (TF). 
     
     
         47 . The antibody variant of  claim 46  wherein the parent antibody is D3H44. 
     
     
         48 . The antibody variant of  claim 39  wherein the antigen is HER2. 
     
     
         49 . The antibody variant of  claim 48  wherein the parent antibody is 4D5. 
     
     
         50 . A composition comprising the antibody variant of  claim 39  and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. 
     
     
         51 . Isolated nucleic acid encoding the antibody variant of  claim 39 . 
     
     
         52 . A vector comprising the nucleic acid of  claim 51 . 
     
     
         53 . A host cell transformed with the nucleic acid of  claim 51 . 
     
     
         54 . A process of producing an antibody variant comprising culturing the host cell of  claim 53  so that the nucleic acid is expressed. 
     
     
         55 . The process of  claim 54  further comprising recovering the antibody variant from the host cell culture. 
     
     
         56 . The process of  claim 55  wherein the antibody variant is recovered from the host cell culture medium. 
     
     
         57 . A method for determining antigen association rate of an antibody comprising:
 (1) combining antibody and antigen in solution, and then;   (2) determining formation of antibody-antigen complex over time.   
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57  wherein step (2) comprises measuring fluorescence emission intensity of the antibody-antigen complex. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the antibody or antigen comprises a tryptophan residue at the antigen-antibody binding interface, and step (2) measures fluorescence emission intensity of the tryptophan residue which changes when the tryptophan residue is buried. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the antigen is vascular endothelial growth factor. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the antibody has an association constant for antigen slower than 10 5  M −1  sec −1 .

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